On April 20, the traders at the heart of Kampala carried placards around the market demanding that Chinese and Indian nationals leave the market for ordinary Ugandans.
It was reported recently that a huge number of them displayed their displeasure over Chinese traders who appear to be leading and controlling the Ugandan local business markets. This was lastly displayed by angry traders in the large parts of the busy trading area in Nakasero in the the capital Kampala.
As a protest against what some described as government’s laxity in cracking down on the overflow of ‘Chinese and Indians’ in petty trade, members of Nakesero Traders Association refused to open their shops for business.
The complaints against presumed Chinese and Indian traders engaged in petty trade are not new. But the turn of events of the last two days, where attempts were made to attack some Asians, hit a new low, in what could potentially spark off a diplomatic row between Uganda and its chief paymaster, China.
Caught up in this wreckage could be sensitive sectors such as tourism, where any negative publicity – the story has already made it to the Associated Press where it was picked up by the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail – is bound to scare away potential tourists.
